1 . September is the month for fashion, with four international cities hosting Fashion Week. All eyes will turn to New York City, London, Milan and Paris this month to see which city puts on the best show.

New York

New York Fashion Week, or NYFW, kicks off on September 5th and runs for approximately eight days. NYFW is considered the most commercial and casual of the four. It is also the only event to allow some fashion school students to participate, bringing a fresh look to the runway.

London

London Fashion Week （LFW） comes on the heels of NYFW, starting on September 13th and running through September 17th. Once considered a minor player among the Big Four, LFW can now command a list of big names as well as promising new designers. London fashion houses have a reputation for being very experimental and open to new ideas.

Milan

Fashion Week moves to Milan on September 17th. This beautiful Italian city is home to some of the biggest fashion houses and designers in the fashion world, including Armani and Prada. Milan's fashion houses are known for offering glamorous （有魅力的）,yet practical, options.

Paris

The chaotic month of fashion makes its way to France as Paris Fashion Week begins on September 23rd. Saving the best for last, Paris never fails to offer some of the most exciting shows of the season. World-famous labels like Chanel and Dior try to outdo one another with their latest designs. The word that best describes Paris Fashion Week is "elegant".

1. Which city is likely to attract the new designers?

A．New York	B．London
C．Milan	D．Paris

2. When does Milan Fashion Week probably end?

A．September 19th	B．September 20th
C．September 21st	D．September 22nd

3. What can we learn from the four fashion weeks?

A．Each has its own characteristics.	B．Each shows its biggest brand.
C．Each offers practical options.	D．Each is open to school students.

2 . When my daughter was in grade school, one day she_______home four tiny twigs (枝条). They were trees given to the students by the school to plant._______of them looked very strong but with a hope for the future, I got a spade and planted them in our backyard. Over the years a (an)_______with the lawnmower (割草机) and poor soil brought a (an)_______to three of them. All that was left was a (an)_______evergreen.

It grew bent and very_______. It never got very tall and tilted (倾斜) to one side. In the end it looked more like a fat bush than a tree. I noticed a few years ago too that it was starting to_______. The lower branches were becoming_______. The needles on the branches a little further up had turned brown. Only the top third of the tree was still green. Last summer I did my best to save it by_______it a lot of fertilizer but my efforts ________.

This morning I went out and looked at it again. I was________whether it would be better to just cut it down. It sure would make mowing the lawn easier and I would no longer have to watch it slowly go________. As I walked over to take a closer look at it,________, I noticed something moving within the needles. It was a robin (知更鸟) patiently building a nest in the topmost branches. I________when I looked at it and decided that maybe this old tree had some life and________left in it yet. It may not be healthy or pretty but it was still giving a bird (a)________and oxygen to this world.

This tree________me of something too. All of our lives have purpose. All of our lives have ________ . It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly (病弱的). Until our last________, God has things for us to do, love for us to give, and joy for us to________. Until our last moment here we can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.

1.

A．got

B．brought

C．rushed

D．returned

2.

A．None

B．All

C．Each

D．Three

3.

A．failure

B．incident

C．accident

D．character

4.

A．damage

B．death

C．end

D．hurt

5.

A．only

B．special

C．unique

D．single

6.

A．slowly

B．violently

C．quickly

D．wildly

7.

A．stretch

B．grow

C．fall

D．die

8.

A．green

B．bare

C．lost

D．powerful

9.

A．delivering

B．feeding

C．spreading

D．laying

10.

A．failed

B．worked

C．replaced

D．deserved

11.

A．dreaming of

B．disappointed at

C．deciding on

D．sorry about

12.

A．mad

B．tiring

C．regular

D．bad

13.

A．therefore

B．thereafter

C．however

D．besides

14.

A．cried

B．smiled

C．laughed

D．shouted

15.

A．usefulness

B．energy

C．beauty

D．strength

16.

A．protection

B．warm

C．stage

D．home

17.

A．expected

B．cured

C．changed

D．reminded

18.

A．meaning

B．beauty

C．passion

D．inspiration

19.

A．doubt

B．life

C．breath

D．appearance

20.

A．enjoy

B．share

C．appreciate

D．offer

3 . Computer scientists have hoped to give robots technical skills to help them recognize, process and react to humor. But these attempts have mostly failed. AI experts say that in many cases, attempts to make robots understand humor end up producing funny results, but not in the way they were supposed to.

Tristan Miller studied more than 10,000 puns in one research project. The pun is a kind of joke that uses a word with two meanings. For example, you could say, “Balloons do not like pop music.” The word “pop” can be a way of saying popular music; or can mean the sound a balloon makes when it explodes. But a robot might not get the joke. Tristan Miller says that is because humor is a kind of creative language that is extremely difficult for computer intelligence to understand.

Allison Bishop is a computer scientist and she also performs stand-up comedy. She explained that machines are trained to look for patterns. Comedy, on the other hand, relies on things that stay close to a pattern, but not completely within it. To be funny, humor should also not be predictable, Bishop said. This is a great challenge for a machine to recognize and understand what is funny.

Bishop says since robots have great difficulty understanding humor, she feels like it gives her better job safety as a comedy performer. It even made her parents happy when her brother decided to become a full-time comedy writer because it meant he wouldn’t be replaced by a machine, she added.

Despite the difficulties, Darmstadt University’s Miller says there are good reasons to keep trying to teach humor to robots. It could make machines more relatable (叙述的), especially if they can learn to understand sarcasm (讽刺), he noted. Humans use sarcasm to say one thing but mean another. But Kiki Hempelmann thinks differently. “Teaching AI systems humor may make them find it where it isn’t, and they may use it where it’s not suitable,” he said. “Maybe bad AI will start killing people because it thinks something is funny,” he added.

1. What does the author most probably want to show in Paragraph 1?

A．Robots’ influence on the scientific development.

B．Robots’ challenges of making sense of humor.

C．Computer scientists’ devotion to technical skills.

D．Computer scientists’ concern about AI’s development.

2. What are examples mentioned in Paragraphs 2 and 3 intended to do?

A．Prove robots do poorly in funny work

B．Explain robots aren’t as intelligent as humans

C．Describe language is complex and changeable

D．Show language can’t be taught in a set pattern

3. What can we infer about teaching AI system humor from the last paragraph?

A．It will make no difference.

B．It may be a double-edged sword.

C．It may help improve humans’ humor.

D．It will attract more computer scientists.

4. Where would the passage most probably come from?

A．Textbook	B．Advertisement
C．Science journal	D．Entertainment speech

4 . Beltana Station —— Stay with a difference

Beltana Station is a fully working sheep and cattle station, and a great place for a holiday with a real difference in Australia. Here the animals are not just to be looked at. They are part of everyday working life at the historic Beltana Station.

What to do

See how a station really works. Join in the daily working life with station workers.

Shearing (剪羊毛) and camp-outs are part of Beltana Station's activities.

Farm animals to see: sheep and cattle. For the kids, depending on the season, there will be animals to feed — lambs and calves.

The station is a joy for painters and photographers. There is a family games room.

Three roads for 4-wheel-drive cars through the station take in such views as Lake Torrens, Mount Deception, relics in Old Beltana town and much more.

Where to live

• the historic 1860s shearers' rooms

• two-room small houses (1860s)

• one small historic country house

Beltana Station is not a resort (度假胜地) hotel. Unlike other places, you can experience real life with real people in Beltana.

1. What would be a proper activity for children at Beltana Station?

A．Camp-outs with station workers.	B．Sheep shearing.
C．Driving cattle.	D．Feeding lambs.

2. What may people learn when visiting Beltana Station?

A．Skills needed for long walks in mountains.

B．Knowledge of Australian history.

C．What to do in team sports.

D．How to keep pets.

3. What is special about Beltana Station?

A．It is a large wild park.	B．It offers real-life work experience.
C．It has seasonal family activities.	D．It is a good place for weekend picnics.

5 . A new study has found that North American migratory(迁徏的) birds have been getting smaller over the past 40 years. Researchers say the finding suggests a warming climate(气候)could be affecting bird growth in North America -- and across the world.

The study was recently published in Ecology Letters. Researchers measured(测量)the size of 80,000 birds killed from 1978 to 2016 during the spring and fall migrations in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Over the 40-year period, body size decreased in all 52 species. The average body weight fell by 2.6 percent. Leg bone length dropped by 2.4 percent. The one area of growth was the wingspan, which increased by 1.3 percent.

The researchers said the wing growth likely happened to allow the birds to continue making long migrations with smaller bodies. The study considered a principle known as Bergmann’s rule, in which individuals within a species grow smaller in warmer areas and grow larger in colder ones.

Brian Weeks, a biologist at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, helped lead the research. He said that he believes the results show a clear connection between a warming climate and the growth of the birds. “In other words, climate change seems to be changing both the size and shape of these species,” he said.

The study found a direct connection between the average summer temperature and the body size of the birds. Dave Willard works with Chicago’s Field Museum, which was in charge of measuring all the birds. He said nearly “everyone agrees that the climate is warming, but examples of just how that is affecting the natural world are only now coming to light.”

“We had good reason to expect that increasing temperatures would lead to reductions in body size, based on earlier studies,” Weeks said. “I was incredibly surprised that all of these species are responding in such similar ways.”

The researchers plan to continue studying the Field Museum data in an effort to find additional evidence to support their findings. They will also further examine the idea that an individual’s physical development can change to fit changing environmental conditions.

1. Which of the following didn’t go down to a lower level?

A．The body size	B．The body weight
C．The leg bone length	D．The wingspan

2. Which of the following took responsibility for measuring the birds?

A．Ecology Letters	B．Brian Weeks
C．The Field Museum	D．Dave Willard

3. What does the underlined words “coming to light” in Paragraph5 mean?

A．Known	B．similar
C．intelligent	D．distant

4. The main idea of the passage is that      

A．fifty-two species of birds became smaller.

B．the warming climate could affect bird growth.

C．the warming climate makes the birds grow larger.

D．the researchers have proved their findings.

6 . It’s a common belief that the roles actors play might somehow reflect their true personalities. It’s usually not true, but British actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 34, is an exception.

Just like Fleabag, the character she played in the comedy-drama series of the same name, Waller-Bridge feels that her life is a mess. “It’s just really wonderful to know that a dirty and messed up woman can make it to the Emmys,” she said. She may be “messed up”, but Variety magazine calls her an “all-around icon”.

Last month, Waller-Bridge took home three Emmy awards for her work on Fleabag — best writing in a comedy series, best lead actress, and best comedy series.

Her success is partly because of her family. Waller-Bridge was brought up in a free environment. Her mother always told her, “You can be whatever you want if you imagine it.” So Waller-Bridge broke all the rules about what a “good” girl should do. “Our laws and moral codes don’t apply — she lives without fear of consequence,” The Sun noted.

That fearlessness extends to being authentic (真实的) in her writing and acting. Unlike the can-do heroines and strong, successful women in many TV dramas, Waller-Bridge shows a flawed but real character. The character Fleabag was a screw-up who always found a way to say or do the wrong thing. “It resonated with the lives of stressed-out women everywhere in reality — doing their best to find balance in their lives,” a viewer wrote on US movie website.

Villanelle in Killing Eve, another hit TV series developed by Waller-Bridge, was a little bit violent but showed no interest for the rules others created, which make many people see themselves in her.

“People have been scared to write characters like these. But I think, now, women are so relieved to have this new template (样板). And, aren’t we all a bit of everything?” Waller-Bridge said in an interview with Indian Express.

With such courage and sincerity, Waller-Bridge is, without a doubt, a “golden girl” in Hollywood, Australian news website The New Daily commented.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A．What helped Waller-Bridge succeed in comedy.

B．The popularity of the comedy-drama series Fleabag.

C．What inspired Waller-Bridge to take up writing and acting.

D．The similarities between Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the character she plays on Fleabag.

2. How did Waller-Bridge’s parents influence her growth?

A．They pushed her to follow social codes.

B．They constantly encouraged her to be herself.

C．They always reminded her to be curious and fearless.

D．They taught her to write and act when she was young.

3. The underlined phrase “resonated with” in Paragraph 7 probably means “__________”.

A．messed up	B．paid attention to
C．had great effects on	D．was in agreement with

4. What do Villanelle in Killing Eve and Fleabag in Fleabag have in common?

A．Both are courageous and organized.

B．Both are much alike in character.

C．Both successfully find balance in their lives.

D．Both are rebellious but strong and successful.

7 . One day, many years ago, when I was working as a psychologist at a children's institution in England, an adolescent boy showed up in the waiting room. I went out there where he was _______up and down restlessly.

Tim wore a black raincoat that was_____ all the way up to his neck. His face was pale, and he stared at his feet while wringing（扭）his hands nervously. He had _________his father as a baby, and had lived with his mother and grandfather ever since. But the year before he turned 13, his grandfather and mother were killed in a car accident. Now he was fourteen and in family care.

I looked at Tim. He was very ______and depressed. He refused to talk to me. The first two times we _______, Tim only sat hunched up （蜷缩） in the chair without saying a word. As he was about to leave after the second visit. I put my hand on his shoulder. He didn't _______ back, but he didn't look at me either.

“Come back next week, if you like, ”I said. I ____ a bit. Then I said, “I know it hurts. ”

He came, and I _____ we play chess. He nodded. After that we played chess every Wednesday afternoon in _______and without making any eye contact. It's not easy for me to _______ in chess, but I admit that I made sure Tim won once or twice.

Usually, he arrived earlier, took the chessboard and pieces and set them up before I even got a（n） ______ to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my ______. But why did he ______look at me?

“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his _______with, ”I thought.

One afternoon. Tim took off his raincoat and put it on the back of the chair. While he was setting up the chess pieces, his face seemed more ________and his motions more lively.

Some months later, I sat staring at Tim's head, _____he was bent over the chessboard. I was thinking about how little we knew about the healing process. ______, he looked up at me. “It's your _______ ,” he said.

After that day, Tim started talking.

Maybe I gave Tim something, but I learned a lot from him. He showed me how one without any words can________ another person. All it_______is a hug，a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, a sympathetic nature and an ear that listens.

1.

A．walking

B．jumping

C．sitting

D．jogging

2.

A．put

B．buttoned

C．wrapped

D．tied

3.

A．hated

B．found

C．missed

D．lost

4.

A．sad

B．mad

C．calm

D．tough

5.

A．talked

B．tried

C．gathered

D．met

6.

A．call

B．come

C．draw

D．get

7.

A．suspected

B．hesitated

C．worried

D．doubted

8.

A．insisted

B．demanded

C．required

D．suggested

9.

A．satisfaction

B．patience

C．silence

D．excitement

10.

A．cheat

B．move

C．play

D．win

11.

A．promise

B．invitation

C．order

D．chance

12.

A．attendance

B．technique

C．company

D．instruction

13.

A．sometimes

B．never

C．often

D．ever

14.

A．pain

B．secret

C．prejudice

D．disagreement

15.

A．serious

B．anxious

C．alive

D．pale

16.

A．since

B．until

C．before

D．while

17.

A．Suddenly

B．Nervously

C．Strangely

D．Fortunately

18.

A．time

B．turn

C．fault

D．way

19.

A．appeal

B．tolerate

C．refresh

D．possess

20.

A．works

B．gives

C．takes

D．makes

8 . Food Parts You Should Never Throw Away in the Garbage

Pineapple Core

When you carve out the core of a pineapple, don't throw it in the garbage. You can use the pineapple core for all kinds of recipes, and there are tons of vitamins and minerals hiding within. To use the pineapple core: chop it and add it to fruit salad, blend it into smoothies, cut it into cubes and freeze for later use, or simply add it to water or even tea to improve flavor.

Kiwi Skin

If you never thought you could eat kiwi in the way you eat a peach, think again. That skin really is good for you and contains a lot of vitamin C, and in fact, it's also higher in fiber than the rest of the fruit. Of course, that rough, ugly skin isn't for everyone, so if you don't like it, try adding a whole kiwi to a smoothie to hide the taste of the skin.

Banana Peel

Most of us eat the banana without giving the soft peel a second thought. Here's why that's a mistake: banana peel contains tryptophan(色氨酸), which increases "the happiness hormone" to help with mood regulation and nerve system. There are a few creative ways to use the peel. Cook or boil for at least 10 minutes to soften. You can add it to smoothies, stir-fries, or soups. And, for a treat, simply slice and bake a banana with the skin on.

Watermelon Skin and Seed

The delicious, red inside makes for a refreshing snack or juice, but you're able to get some powerful nutrients in the skin and seeds as well. Cut out the white part under the green outside and use it in your cooking. It has vitamin C and B6, to keep you healthy. As for the seeds, you can roast them in the oven. Then add them to salads or to nut snacks.

1. Which of the following has a larger amount of fiber than its other parts?

A．Pineapple cores.

B．Kiwi skin.

C．Banana peel.

D．Watermelon skin and seeds.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．All the food above can be added to smoothies.

B．Kiwi skin can be roasted in the oven.

C．Banana peel can help lift people's moods.

D．The green part of watermelon has vitamin C and B6.

3. Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In a botany instruction.

B．In a medicine brochure.

C．In a fruitarian's recipe.

D．In a nutrition report.

9 . Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.

Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating .

Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.

Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.

Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.

Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.

1. What are children expected to learn Through playing hide-and-seek?

A．Be a team leader	B．Obey the basic rules
C．Act as a grown-up	D．Predict possible danger

2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably mean ?

A．Games can describe life in an exciting way

B．Games can turn real-life experiences into a play

C．Games can make learning life skills more interesting

D．Games can change people’s views of sporting events

3. According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?

A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country.

B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.

C．It helps the country out of natural disasters.

D．It earns the winners fame and fortune.

4. What’s Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation ?

A．Bringing fun to poor kids.

B．Providing soccer balls for children.

C．Giving poor kids a chance for a better life.

D．Attracting soccer players to help poor kids.

10 . When I was about halfway between twenty and thirty, I lived in a large, run-down house that other people thought was romantic. The door to my bedroom was at least twelve feet tall. So I fixed a coatrack(衣帽架) over the top, and whenever I needed to get a jacket, or a towel, I stood on my desk chair to get them, swinging uncertainly.

There were six of us in the house. We were all about the same age. Two boys lived on the top floor and three lived in the basement. As the only girl, I was aware of being surrounded by shirtless boys, which is embarrassing especially in summer.

One hot afternoon, I wrote a long e-mail to my high-school English teacher, because I remembered him as handsome in a remote way. He wore expensive clothes and took an understated pleasure in saying inspiring things. I calculated that the English teacher was about forty, and then I pressed Send. The e-mail covered a lot of ground. I summarized what I called “my college experience”. Toward the end of the e-mail, I found myself saying that I couldn’t understand why I still needed to struggle in my college life.

When the English teacher wrote back, I was unexpected. In his response to my e-mail, he mentioned some stories about those who dropped out of school and their lives were hard for me to imagine.

With tears in my eyes, I decided to keep on trying even if I was not in a famous university. I believe as long as I am determined enough, I can make my life better in the future.

1. According to the passage, what does the writer think of her living environment?

A．Inconvenient.	B．Romantic.
C．Funny.	D．Boring.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The children were of complete different age.

B．Her teacher has a positive influence on her.

C．There are some boys and girls sharing the room together.

D．The author wrote an email to her English teacher as he was handsome.

3. Which of the following words can best describe the author’s teacher?

A．Humorous and handsome.	B．Serious and knowledgeable.
C．Outgoing and respected	D．Caring and courageous

4. What does the author want to share in the article?

A．Communication is the key to success.

B．When we are trapped in difficulty, we can ask others for help.

C．We are supposed to be admitted to a famous university.

D．As long as we have determination, we can make it one day.